Game Development Homework

Research Activity – Gameplay Analysis

• Yes, you get to play games! No such thing as a free lunch though, read on.
• Play a game of your own choosing. Be sensible with how long you allocate for this part – more than an hour is definitely excessive!
• Spend some time answering the following questions and submit your answers (as full sentences) to Bourne to Learn.
  • What is the game called?
  • How does the game work?
  • What kind of game is this? Could you put it into a category or genre?
  • How did you learn how to play it? Was it a tutorial, from videos, or by trying things out?
  • How does playing this game make you feel?
  • Would you play this game again? Why/why not?
  • Why do you think this game is a success?
  • What would you change if you worked for the game developer?

Research Activity – User Experience

Players require some way of understanding the state of the game, so that playing is an interactive and enjoyable experience. Players cannot play if they don’t know what is happening or what they should do next! This is achieved most simply through the visuals provided as graphical output, but also as an impact of other components of the game – there’s a lot more to it than just pictures that move when we press buttons!

Your task is to research another element that goes into creating a complete game experience. Choose from:

• Assets / artwork
• Sound effects and music
• Menus and score systems
• Level / quest / task design

For your chosen area, write 200 words explaining what this part of game design involves, what it provides in terms of enjoyment, and why.

Research Activity – Art History

• The artwork and design of videogames has evolved through time – sometimes it uses the highest quality graphics available, but some visually striking games achieve their memorable status despite not pushing the limits of the technology available at the time.
• Read one or more of the following articles:
  • https://creativemarket.com/blog/video-games-as-art-10-visually-stunning-video-games
  • https://rhizome.org/editorial/2016/aug/03/an-art-history-for-videogames/
  • https://coolmaterial.com/media/most-beautiful-video-games/
  • https://unrealitymag.com/the-10-most-visually-stunning-games-of-the-last-10-years/
• Produce a presentation (approximately 5 slides excluding a title slide) about the development of artwork in video games. The exact focus is up to you – it could be about the latest developments in graphical wizardry, about the history of 2D side-scrollers, or indeed anything that takes your fancy!

Group Work Activity

• Sort out your group’s communication method and spend some time outside of lessons working independently on your project – you will have a couple of time slots to do this over the next few lessons!